Question

The atomic mass of a helium atom is 4.0026 u. Convert this mass to MeV/c².

a) 3.717 MeV/c²
b) 4.0026 MeV/c²
c) 5.423 MeV/c²
d) 6.751 MeV/c²

Answer 1

The atomic mass of a helium atom (4.0026 u) corresponds to 3.717 MeV/c² when converted using the equivalence of 1 u to 931.5 MeV/c².

Step-by-step explanation:

To convert the atomic mass of a helium atom (4.0026 u) to MeV/c², we use the fact that 1 u is equivalent to 931.5 MeV/c². The calculation is as follows:

4.0026 u × 931.5 MeV/c²/u = 3727.4229 MeV/c²

Since the conversion factor has only four significant figures, we need to round our answer to four significant figures as well. The closest answer choice to our result is (a) 3.717 MeV/c².